A man who fails to follow another’s footprints often gets lost.
I agree that there is likely something wrong with his diet, but I think it’s reckless to tell him to merely disregard his trainer’s diet and create his own meal plans. I’m guessing many of us are trainers or otherwise schooled in nutirition.
Creativity or "breaking the mold" occurs after you’ve learned the fundamental rules of any subject. Like Brad Pitt’s character in the movie "A River Runs Through it", who taught himself to shadow fly fish after learning basic theory from his father.
Follow the footprints in front of you for a while, leave your own trail after you know the lay of the land.
